


A Helping Claw

by sabinelagrande



Series: Aid [4]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Biting, Cuddling, Gen, Inexperienced S/M Top, Masochism, No Sex, Painplay, Scratching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-10 21:28:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15957890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabinelagrande/pseuds/sabinelagrande
Summary: Fjord knows what he wants, but not how he's going to get it.





	A Helping Claw

Fjord needs a hand, and he's not sure where he's going to get it.

There are people you pay for things like this, and Fjord has never had much trouble finding them. You say the right words and grease the right palms, and you can have a grand old time. He does it, but that doesn't mean he particularly likes it; it feels impersonal, at a remove, when what he really wants is someone to get under his skin.

It's after a session like this that he starts to consider his options. It's been maybe a week and a half, and he sure wants it again; the person he hired was skilled, but it wasn't enough this time. It's only natural that he should consider his traveling companions, though he knows nothing about their opinions on the subject. He rejects most of them out of hand, for various reasons. His mind keeps coming back to Jester, but she doesn't fit, not like how he needs.

Strangely enough, he does find a good candidate, and before he can talk himself out of it, he pays said candidate a call.

"Fjord," Caduceus says amiably, as he steps into the room they're sharing. Caduceus has his various healing herbs laid out on the room's small desk, and he appears to be packing them up.

"Is this a bad time?" Fjord asks.

"This is your room," Caduceus points out.

"Yeah, but- never mind," Fjord says.

"You seem nervous, friend," Caduceus says. He picks up one of the herbs that's still on the table. "Fairy's dance to take the edge off?"

"I'll pass," Fjord says, and Caduceus shrugs and packs the small brown stalk away.

"What's got you so shaken up?" Caduceus asks, rolling up his herbalism kit and tying it closed.

"Got a favor I'd like to ask you, if you're amenable," Fjord says.

Caduceus turns in his chair, facing Fjord. "Give it a try."

"I'm not here to ask for sex," Fjord prefaces.

"That's probably for the best," Caduceus says. "What are you here to ask for?"

"I need someone to hurt me," Fjord says, and Caduceus looks at him curiously. Fjord bites his tongue so he can't swear; he was hoping for a little recognition, but he's going to have to go from the ground up. "Not in a fighting kind of way. I'm looking for something more-" he pauses, considering his words. "Intimate."

"Oh," Caduceus says; maybe he knows more than Fjord thought. "Am I the person you want to ask? Jester would know more than me."

"I don't know if she would enjoy actually doing it," Fjord says. "I have my reasons for wanting it to be you."

"Such as?" Caduceus prompts.

"I trust you, but I didn't know you before-" Fjord lets it hang, because they're past explaining what happened. "I'm not the same person I was a few months ago."

"I wouldn't know," Caduceus says.

"That's my point exactly," Fjord tells him. "I need someone who doesn't know who I used to be. I can't have someone judging my reactions against that. I don't know if I'll ever be him again."

Caduceus shrugs. "Maybe that's not a bad thing, as long as you end up liking the person you become."

"I don't know if I do yet," Fjord says.

"No one's asking you to figure out tonight," Caduceus says, putting a hand on Fjord's shoulder. "What is it you need me to do? I need you to be very specific."

"I figured you would," Fjord says. He tries to think of where to start; he's been planning this, but still hasn't quite gotten there. "There are formal ways of doing things like this, but that's a lot for the first night."

"I only care about formality when it helps people," Caduceus says. "Some people find it comforting."

"We'll worry about formality another time," Fjord says, because the idea is intriguing, but not so much that it would be a dealbreaker to forgo it.

"I notice you keep talking like this is going to happen again," Caduceus says.

Fjord exhales. "I'm not asking you to promise anything, but I don't know how many more times I can explain myself."

"You're not explaining yourself now," Caduceus says, though it sounds gentle.

"I need to be hurt," Fjord says. "Not injured, not permanently damaged, just hurt. People have lots of ways of doing it, with whips or knives or what have you, but I like it a bit more personal."

"What does that entail?" Caduceus says, and he seems politely interested, like he's committing to nothing but not ready to turn Fjord away.

"Hands," Fjord says. "Fingernails, in particular. Slapping, in the right places. Biting," He chuckles nervously. "I really like the biting."

"What do you get from it?" Caduceus says.

Fjord bites his lip, mulling it over. The advantage of going to someone who knows about this stuff is not having to answer that question; when you're already in it, it simply is. "It loosens me up," he says. "Eases my mind. That kind of thing."

Caduceus hums, looking contemplative. "What do I get out of it?"

"I'm gonna be straight with you, because you're the kind of person who appreciates that," Fjord says. "You might get five minutes in and realize you hate it. But I think you like to help people, and you like to figure out how they work so you can figure out what they need. I think you'll find it satisfying. If you don't, you can stop whenever you want."

"I'll give it a shot," Caduceus says, and Fjord feels immense relief. "What's the setup look like?"

"We'll make it easy," Fjord says. "With your permission, I'm gonna strip to my smalls and lay down on my stomach, and you can take your time."

"Do I need to strip?" Caduceus asks.

Fjord looks him over. "I mean, not strictly, but that sleeve thing is gonna get in your way."

Caduceus looks down at his arm. "It looks cool, but I'm reconsidering it. It gets caught in things when I move around a lot." He pulls his shirt over his head and sets it aside. "How do I know when to stop?"

"For now, I'll tell you," Fjord says. "It- it gets complicated, but today, stop means stop."

"Gotcha," Caduceus says. "Well, let's start the party."

Fjord strips quickly, laying down on the bed, his forehead resting on his crossed arms. The mattress dips as Caduceus gets in next to him, and Fjord's toes flex, a nervous tic that he probably doesn't even know he has.

"Where can I touch you?" Caduceus asks.

"Anywhere," Fjord says.

Caduceus runs his hands up Fjord's arms and down his back, and Fjord tries to adjust to the feeling of being touched again. He wants it so much that he's tempted to push up into it, but it's too early for that.

"Fingernails, right?" Caduceus says.

"Yeah," Fjord says. Caduceus arches his hands, the tips of his blunt claws scratching gently against Fjord's skin. "It's gonna need to be _much_ harder than that."

"Are you sure?" Caduceus asks. "I can draw blood with these things."

That sounds impossibly good, but Fjord has done none of the preparations for it. "A little less than drawing blood, but a lot more than what you're doing."

"Okay," Caduceus says, and he digs into Fjord's skin, dragging his claws down Fjord's back.

"Oh fuck," Fjord says, back arching. "Keep that up."

Caduceus chuckles, and the sound goes up Fjord's spine. "Is that what you need?"

"It's a great fuckin' start," Fjord says. Caduceus does it again, on the other side this time, and Fjord lets himself relax, savoring the pressure of his nails and the sensitized feeling they leave behind.

Caduceus seems content to explore for the moment, following the lines of Fjord's back with his claws. He curves around the base of Fjord's neck with one nail, a long, slow line, and Fjord shudders, his body reduced to that point of pain. He feels raw and fresh already, like Caduceus could crack him open with his hands, expose him. It's better than he expected, and if it doesn't crash and burn, it's going to be quite the thing.

"I want to try something," Caduceus says, as he drags his claws up the back of Fjord's thigh, too hard to tickle.

"Go for it," Fjord says, and he hisses as Caduceus rakes his claws across his back, not as deep but much faster, like an animal would, to tear into its prey. He gives Fjord a moment to settle, moving his hands slower, serpentining them down Fjord's back. "Yeah, you can sure as fuck keep doing that."

"Good," Caduceus says, and he does it again, leaving lines of pain as he criss-crosses Fjord's back. Fjord can feel that he's not drawing blood, but it hurts plenty. Fjord is sinking rapidly underneath it, reaching the point where it's all floating; he's not quite there, but the way Caduceus is taking him apart, it's a question of when, not if.

Caduceus lays a hand on his back, and Fjord feels the claw marks underneath it. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine and dandy," Fjord says, his speech a little slurred.

"You said something about biting," Caduceus says.

"Please," Fjord says, and in this space, asking for it feels so easy. "Mark me up."

Caduceus seems to be taking his time to consider, and Fjord isn't prepared for it when he finally bites down on Fjord's neck. Fjord shivers. He can tell that Caduceus is holding back, just like he did earlier, but it feels damn good, the way he can feel Caduceus's teeth as they sink in. They're blunt, nothing like getting bitten by a tiefling or another half-orc; that just makes the press of them harder, and Fjord wonders how much he's going to bruise.

Caduceus pulls his mouth away, and Fjord makes a noise of protest. "Say 'more' if you want more," he says, and Fjord is just there enough to appreciate being given a simple question instead of a request for anything more complicated.

"More," Fjord says. "Harder."

Fjord gasps as Caduceus bites down on his shoulder and then grabs a handful of his ass, his claws sinking in hard. Fjord writhes, caught between the two sensations; getting away from one just pushes him into the other, and it's too good. Caduceus doesn't stop, the pain growing, and Fjord is left gasping by the time he pulls away. 

Caduceus is getting into it now, and he keeps his hands moving on Fjord's skin, scratching as he finds more spots to bite and suck. He's a natural at this, and Fjord is gone, like he's floating but peacefully, untethered but unafraid. He just lets all the sensation stack and stack, taking everything he's given. It still hurts, the way Caduceus is mauling him, but he wants every second of it. Caduceus's claws rake across his back in a particularly satisfying way, and Fjord groans aloud. There's more and Fjord's not even processing it individually anymore, just opening himself up and taking in.

The only cogent thought he has is that it reminds him of his patron.

Fjord is a mess by the time Caduceus's hands begin to gentle, stroking over his back instead of scratching. "How's things?" Caduceus asks, petting his hair.

"I'm done," Fjord says. "You can stop."

"What do you need from me now?" Caduceus asks, and Fjord can feel him sitting back; the room seems several degrees colder all of a sudden.

"Don't go anywhere," Fjord says, and Caduceus puts a hand on him again, which helps.

"Do you want me to hold you?" Caduceus asks.

Fjord turns, so that he's laying on his side. "That sounds mighty nice."

He sees Caduceus for the first time since before they started, and he's pleased to see that Caduceus looks a little messed up. His breathing is faster than normal, and he looks a little wired. It's impressive considering that, generally speaking, if he was much calmer, he'd be dead. He doesn't say anything about it, though, just lays down next to Fjord, putting an arm around him and pulling Fjord close. Fjord is used to being the big one, and this is a nice change, feeling small. It suits his mental state right about now. 

He reaches up and flicks Caduceus's ear, because it strikes him as very funny.

"Hey now," Caduceus says. "Thought I was the one who was supposed to be doing things like that."

"Sorry," Fjord says. "It was just floppy, and-" He shakes his head. "I dunno."

"I don't know where you've gone, but it seems like a nice place," Caduceus says.

"It's a great time," Fjord says. "How about you?"

"I really liked that," Caduceus says, and he sounds sort of awed. "I thought I was just doing you a solid, but-" He sighs. "Yeah."

"Well, hot damn," Fjord says, shutting his eyes. "Have I got things to show you."

"I think I'd like that," Caduceus says, his hand stroking down Fjord's back.

Fjord hears him start the incantation for a healing spell, and he puts a hand on Caduceus's chest. "Don't."

There's a scent like burnt tinder as the magic fizzles out. "Why?" Caduceus asks.

"I won't bruise if you heal me," Fjord says.

"If it's bruises you want, you'll have plenty to choose from," Caduceus says, though he sounds a little skeptical.

"Good," Fjord says, and Caduceus doesn't press it any further.

It's still possible Caduceus will balk when it gets more intense; it's still possible that tomorrow Fjord will wake up regretting the whole thing. Now, though, there's none of that. Now things are warm and quiet, and everyone is satisfied.

Fjord puts his arm around Caduceus's waist and lets himself plan for more.


End file.
